2. Cleveland. Alex Len, C, Maryland.

2 / 14

Last year was, apparently, a rarity. As early as June of 2011—around that year’s NBA draft—we began hearing how strong the crop of players coming in 2012 would be, and in the weeks leading up to last year’s picks, front offices everywhere were giddily awaiting draft night.

This year, we’re back to the usual pooh-poohing of incoming talent. The players are young and difficult to read, and all too often, they don’t quite fit into a natural position at the next level. That’s going to make things tough on scouts, of course, but after talking to a handful of personnel people around the league, here is how the lottery is shaping up for next year.

Noel has lived up to his hype thus far, and though he is not quite Anthony Davis, scouts like him because he is in that mold—he is big and mobile, with great defensive instincts and plays with a lot of energy. Offensively, he needs work, but he has a solid base of NBA skill to build on.

If you’re lamenting the disappearance of the big man in the NBA, don’t blame Len—he is a legit center, with a very effective post game. I have talked to more than one personnel man who thinks Len could be the top pick in this draft. And while he might not have the upside of a guy like Noel, you can pencil him in as a starter in the league for a long time.

Zeller has a polished all-around game for a sophomore, and would have been a lottery pick if he had come out last year. One problem with going back to school is that scouts will parse his game a little more closely and find flaws—his lack of strength is the current concern. By the time the draft comes around, though, expect Zeller to be among the Top 3.

There may not be many stars in this draft, but Muhammad is one guy who has a chance to buck that notion. He is not outstanding athletically, but he is good with the ball and is a threat as a scorer. There were questions about his shooting coming in, but so far, he is making 47.6 percent of his 3s.

McLemore is on the rise in the eyes of scouts. He is a very athletic wing who can penetrate the lane with ease and has a smooth perimeter stroke. For him, the trick is to harness his scoring ability, to figure out how to work a defense. Increasingly, he has shown he can be a top-notch scorer, and if he keeps that up, he will wind up in the Top 5-10 of this draft.

One of the knocks you hear on Poythress is that he doesn’t have the perimeter game you want out of a small forward, which is where he will play in the NBA (he is 6-7). He is shooting 45.5 percent on 3s, but that’s only on 11 attempts. Thing is, Poythress has been impressive with his efficiency on the floor, no matter what position he is at—he is shooting 65.2 percent. He is a good rebounder and a good defender, so if he can just show some consistency on the perimeter, he will wind up even higher in this draft.

There is certainly a variety of opinions on Goodwin, a combo guard loved by some scouts and sloughed off by others. He is quick and adept at attacking the basket, but he doesn’t have the playmaking ability to play point guard in the NBA. Still, he has played well early on, and his draft stock is solid.

Porter has good size and the kind of all-around game scouts like to see at small forward. He has improved his shooting, which was a negative for him as a freshman last year, though he is still inconsistent. He needs to add muscle, but has the frame to handle it.

There was some disappointment that McCollum (ankle sprain) could not play on Thursday against North Texas and Tony Mitchell, another candidate to be drafted in the lottery. But the injury is not serious and McCollum—who leads the nation in scoring (24.9 points per game)—remains high in the regard of scouts, shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 51.9 percent from the 3-point line. He is a senior, and a combo guard, and both of those facts hurt his prospects. But he has been such a good scorer, he will be a lottery pick.

Bennett has put up good numbers thus far, averaging 19.4 points and 8.4 rebounds, shooting 54.7 percent. That sort of production has been pushing his stock higher, and if he continues that trend, he will wind up in the Top 5-7. The problem is—and you’ll hear this a lot in this draft—Bennett doesn’t have a clear NBA position. He has power forward skill and length, but he is only 6-7.

The complaints about Plumlee in the past were that he is a bit too passive, too easily pushed around. Hard to see that knock holding up for the length of the season, though, not when he is averaging 19.3 points and 11.5 rebounds. He is going to the free-throw line 8.1 times per game, and though he is not a great free-throw shooter, he is at 69.7 percent, a big jump from the 52.8 percent he shot last year.

There is no doubting that Carter-Williams is the best playmaker in the draft, and his assist (10.7 per game) and rebounding (5.0) numbers are very good. He struggles with his shooting, though, and that is a worry for scouts.

The number that sticks out for McAdoo early on is the 3.3 turnovers he has been committing. He has played pretty well in general, but he is—again—a tweener, and scouts would like to see him be able to play some small forward. Not sure he is there yet, though.

With the lack of big-time college stars, expect to see more internationals on the board this year. The best of the bunch is Gobert, an athletic, talented 7-footer whom scouts have stamped as ready to play in the NBA.